Newton Food Centre was established in 1971 and holds a long history since the independence of Singapore in 1965. Located in Newton, on the outskirts of the bustling Central Business District and streets of Orchard, it welcomes over 1,000 customers per day. The food centre was promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as a tourist attraction to represent Singaporean cuisine and has certainly done well with 83 stalls, displaying the colourful variety of food that Singapore has to offer. It has undergone a major renovation in 2005 for more than a year before reopening on 1 July 2006, with a horseshoe design that allows for easy access to any stall and spaces for buskers to perform and entertain the patrons. Blinds were also added to protect customers from the afternoon sun and the rain – a huge concern in the past with Singapore’s hot and humid weather. The hawker centre was also featured in the 2018 film, Crazy Rich Asians.
Newton Food Centre becomes exceptionally popular in the evening, contrary to other hawker centres that begin to wind down before the dinner/supper crowd appears. Hence, it well-liked by tourists, as well as office workers nearby, who want to wrap up the day on a high note.
One can look forward to Newton Food Centre’s oyster omelette to start off their culinary tour. The oyster omelettes here are packed with juicy oysters that are larger than those sold in other hawker centres and have attracted pilgrimages from food enthusiasts from across Singapore!
Other specialities in Newton Food Centre are barbequed chicken wings and satay. Hawkers grill their chicken wings and satay upon order, usually over an electric or coal grill. The juicy chicken wings have the perfect crisp on their skin and adding lime for an accent makes it even more appetising. Dipping the satay into the accompanying peanut sauce adds an extra layer of flavour that makes one unable to stop once they start eating.
Newton Food Centre is also one of the few hawker centres in Singapore that offer craft beer. Of course, there are many stalls which sell beer and the standard alcohol, attracting many office workers and tourists hoping to cool off after a long day or simply celebrate the occasion. For the non-alcoholics, the food centre also houses sugarcane juice, Teh Tarik and fruit juice stalls.
Overall, while most of us are not crazily rich, we can certainly enjoy Michelin featured hawker stores such as R&B Express and Alliance Seafood, and the bustling atmosphere of Newton Food Centre with its variety of stalls.
